Visits: Family Time as a Key to Permanency

Prerequisite: Completion of the SOP Foundational training is required.

This class is designed to support advanced SOP practitioners who would like to learn practical and tangible ways to incorporate the principles of SOP and the Integrated Core Practice Model (ICPM) into facilitating visits with families. This course presents a teaming model that integrates research about visits with the ICPM and SOP to enhance family time preparation and progression. This framework acknowledges past and current trauma for both parents and children, the worries that families may have about facilitated family time, and the need to create the most effective visit plan possible in a short timeframe. When caregivers, birth parents, and those responsible for supervising family time can work together, both the child's safety and the parent's support network will be developed and sustained over time

After attending this training, participants will be able to:

  • Deepen their knowledge of what research and practice says about visits in child welfare practice
  • Describe the primary purpose and role of family time in a child welfare case through a trauma-informed lens
  • Identify the various levels of family time progression
  • Explore teaming strategies to prepare families and their support network for family visit planning with a focus on the individual needs and strengths of the child and family
  • Understand the value of visit coaching as a model to reduce trauma and improve family time experiences and outcomes
  • Demonstrate the use of SOP strategies and ICPM behaviors in visit planning and progression including teaming/mapping with the safety network, fairness & equity, cultural humility, danger statements/safety goals and solution focused inquiry
  • Value the use of SOP and ICPM practice behaviors to improve family time experiences and outcomes for children and families
Course Code
508329